How to Quarantine Coral and Inverts

[Bthomas]

Leave enough room to clean around and or under the egg crate. The egg crate itself will get coated with diatoms, algae, etc. Might be better to cut that egg crate in half, so you can move half of it around while cleaning. I put a very shallow layer of sand on the bottom of mine. You can easily siphon it out to clean and then return to tank after cleaning, snails (I have Cerith snails in my qt) and all.

Thanks again. You've been so much help to me during this process.
So you can just put the sand from the quarantine tank back into your display after the 76 days? And then pull more from the display next time you set one up? It could also just be sand from a new bag id assume?

 

[Big G]

I have an coral qt that I keep up and running all the time. That's what I was referring to. In my fish qt, I don't use egg crate; I have used tupperware with sand for gobies. In the fish qt, I toss the sand after using it with copper and meds. Yeah, I keep a big bag of Fiji Pink out in the garage. It will last for years.

 

[Bthomas]

I have an coral qt that I keep up and running all the time. That's what I was referring to. In my fish qt, I don't use egg crate; I have used tupperware with sand for gobies. In the fish qt, I toss the sand after using it with copper and meds. Yeah, I keep a big bag of Fiji Pink out in the garage. It will last for years.

So if the coral quarantine is taken down it would need be tossed and add new next time?
I may find that i always have something in there and it may just stay up all the time but right now the plan is to tear it down between quarantines

 

[Big G]

Toss the sand. You may have some biologicals in there that when reintroduced could create some algae outbreaks. The egg crate can be cleaned with bleach, rinse, dry and reused many times. And of course clean with bleach all of the filter, heater, powerheads, etc. That's for coral qt.

 

[Bthomas]

Toss the sand. You may have some biologicals in there that when reintroduced could create some algae outbreaks. The egg crate can be cleaned with bleach, rinse, dry and reused many times. And of course clean with bleach all of the filter, heater, powerheads, etc. That's for coral qt.

Thanks

 

[Bthomas]

The first light you posted is very small. Probably a decent choice for a 5 gal. Check these lights out. They have a fuller spectrum with reds and blues that your corals will need. I have something very similar on my 10 gal Qts. The only thing I modified was to raise the lights up a bit to eliminate salt creep: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Aquarium-F...d=152756366960&_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982

How did u modify these lights to raise them up? I thought i could deal with the salt creep but it's kinda driving me crazy..

 

[Big G]

How did u modify these lights to raise them up? I thought i could deal with the salt creep but it's kinda driving me crazy..

Yeah that salt creep was making me crazy too. So here's what I did on my two QTs. On my coral qt, which I don't need to open very often, I just cut a couple of pieces of pvc pipe as spacers to raise the height. On my fish Qt, which I need to get into several times a day a more permanent solution was needed so I made a pvc stand to hang the light. Here's the pictures of both. Hope this helps a bit.

 

[rgodoy22]

What would be the best way to remove hitch hikers and pest from qt before introducing livestock to main tank? I dipped coral before going into qt tank and after about a week I can see some hitch hikers all over the tank that I don't want to introduce to my main tank what would be the best way to remove them?

 

[melypr1985]

What would be the best way to remove hitch hikers and pest from qt before introducing livestock to main tank? I dipped coral before going into qt tank and after about a week I can see some hitch hikers all over the tank that I don't want to introduce to my main tank what would be the best way to remove them?

It would depend on the hitchhiker.... though a dip before intro into the display should take care of most I would think.

 

[Big G]

What would be the best way to remove hitch hikers and pest from qt before introducing livestock to main tank? I dipped coral before going into qt tank and after about a week I can see some hitch hikers all over the tank that I don't want to introduce to my main tank what would be the best way to remove them?

15 minute dip in Bayer mixed 10ml to 1oz. of tank water. Rinse/soak 15minutes in clean tank water; rinse/soak again 15 minutes in clean tank water. Some also follow this with a similar process with Coral RX. Then, and this is the big part. Qt the corals in a separate tank for 76 days to insure you don't have an encysted Ich, velvet, etc. tagging along. Qt all inverts as well in the same tank for 76 days, though with no dip.

 

[rgodoy22]

I do have a separate tank for corals and one for fish. I dip all coral before going into qt tank but I've found this today

 

[rgodoy22]

I'm pretty sure the in the last picture is baby stomatella snails I found larger ones that I removed the im not sure what the green critter is in the first two pictures. But I don't want any of that in my display

 

[Big G]

The green thing looks like an isopod-munnid. Never seen one "green" before. Usually white or clear looking. @KJ

 

[rgodoy22]

The green thing looks like an isopod-munnid. Never seen one "green" before. Usually white or clear looking. @KJ

Is there a way to eliminate them from my qt so I don't transfer any to my display?

 

[Big G]

Is there a way to eliminate them from my qt so I don't transfer any to my display?

They are herbivores that clean your tank. Their numbers will wax and wane depending on the food supply. Very common in tanks. Some isopods are harmful; some are benign. This one is benign.

 

[Bthomas]

I just lost my cleaner shrimp that was in my dt. When i decide to get another one will it need to be quarantined?

 

[Big G]

Needs to be in a fishless QT at least until it molts. Or 76 days to be extra safe.

 

[Bthomas]

Needs to be in a fishless QT at least until it molts. Or 76 days to be extra safe.

I thought i saw somewhere that the cysts that can attach to other inverts wouldnt attach to shrimp but if thats not the case in the quarantine it will go

 

[Bthomas]

Is it necessary to dip coral when removing them from quarantine to go in display if I have not witnessed any pests in the 76 day qt period?
I do have a couple aiptasia in the qt tank but none on the corals themselves

 

[Bthomas]

Edit: double post..